Shuttle check and protector mechanism



y 6, 1932. w w. ROBERTSQN sauww: CHECK AND PROTECTOR uscnmrsu FiledMarch 4, i931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jvvsxv 727/? W. [M F0555 750M v FAfimwvcrj W. W. ROBERTSON SHUTTLE CHE CK AND PROTECTOR MECHANISM July26, 1932.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 4, 1931 J g m m w Cw: III 10 1., 1 s Q s kw 0 H i a W x F k n v m1 I 7 m i n a V. TH rM H MW am y m a in ,0 W W aW A b e ,P i I I 5 3 L 1 W 0 (31Kv ,1. lib. BMW m R w H 7 H/ a w 5 a W xQ w n xi A 3 -w a J H m o a a w a H Patented July 26, 1932 NITE'D STATESPATENT OFFICE WILLIAM W. ROBERTSON, F WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS,(ASSIGNOR TO CROMPT'ON' & KNOWLES LOOM WORKS, OF WORCESTER,.MASSAGHUSETTS, 'A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS SHUTTLE CHECK ANDIPROTIIGTOR MECHANISM Application filed March 4, 1931.' Serial No.520,034.

This invention relates to improvements in shuttle checking devices forlooms and it is of shuttle check or binder which acts through-- out thegreater part of the motion of the shuttle in the shuttle box to retardmovement ofthe shuttle and to control the protector mechanism. As aresult of this arrangement a shuttle may enter the box suflicientlytomove the protector finger out of protecting position but the shuttlewill not be completely boxed. This results in a defective pick on thefollowing beat of the loom with possible breakage of the picker stick..It is an important object of my present invention to divide the shuttlechecking apparatusinto two separate parts one of which is locatedadjacent the mouth of the shuttle box and is in contact with the shuttlethroughout prac- T tically its entire movement in the box to therebyexert a stopping force on the shuttle.

This force is notenough, however, to absorb all the energy of theshuttle, and the second part of the apparatus which is located at theouter end of the box absorbs the remainder of the energy of motion ofthe shuttle as the latter becomes completely boxed and also operates thefingers and daggers ofthe protector mechanism.

In weft replenishing looms it is customary to employ the shuttle with alarge slot through which the exhausted bobbin may be expelled, and indouble shuttle looms these X slots are ordinarily horizontal andparallel to each other, the shuttles being arranged one over the other.In the form of binder heretofore proposed for this type of loom therehas been a pair of narrow surfaces to engage that part of the shuttlewhich lies above and below the bobbin slot. These surbe so arranged asto engage the ends of the shuttle when the latter is boxed, but will beout of contact with the central portions of the shuttles. It has beenobserved in certaininstances that the narrow surfaces cut grooves in theshuttle, but these are eliminated when the narrow surfaces are omitted;It has been found that the shuttle checking apparatus of the type setforth herein is distinctly advantageous on bobbin changing looms becauseit can be spaced a considerable distance from the path of the outgoingbobbins.

It is a further object of my invention to provide asecondary checkingdevice, or that part which lies at the outer end of the shuttle box,with'means for controlling the protector fingers, these 'meansbeingshown herein as arms which are always 'outof contactwith the shuttle andout-of the path of the outgoing bobbin.

It is a furtherobject of the invention to employ the springs of theprotector mechanism to stress the initial'brake without permittingthelatter to operate the dagger.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription'proceeds, my invention residesinthe combination andarrangement of parts hereinafterdescribed and set forth in the claims.

Inthe accompanying drawings, wherein a convenient embodiment of myinvention. is set forth,

'Fig. .1 is a top plan view of portions of the right hand end of thedouble shuttle loom having myinvention applied thereto, i

,Fig. 2 is a viewcsimilar to a portion'of Fig. 1,"but withcertain partsremoved for' Fig; 5 is a rear elevation looking in the .1

directionof arrow 5, Fig. 4, and V Fig. 6 is a vertical sectionon line66 of Fig. 1. p

Referring to the drawings, I have shown a loom frame 10 and a lay 11having a slot 12 for the'oicker stick 13. Upper and lower shuttles S andS respectively, are carried too by the lay and are each provided with apicker one of which is shown at P in Figs. 1 and 2. The lay may beprovided with a box front 14 supported by a plate 15 which separates theupper and lower boxes. The boxes are fixed with respect to the lay anddo not shift, the shuttles being employed to weave a socalled doublefabric having upper and lower webs between which may extend pile formingyarns. The plate 15 defines an upper box for shuttle S with a box top 16secured to the lay, and also a second shuttle box with the lower shuttleS with the race plate 17. The shuttles will ordinarily be of differentcross section because of the differing shapes of the sheds through whichthey travel.

Designated generally at M is a weft bobbin magazine having guides 20 and21 for a series of bobbins B. A transferrer slide 22 moves betweenguides 23 under influence of the transferrer lever 24 and against theaction of return springs 25. A regularly oscillating hook 26 movesrearwardly from the position shown in Fig. 1 on those beats of the loomwhen both shuttles are at the right hand side of the loom, and acontroller 27 is actuated through appropriate detector mechanism not shown to connect the hook with the lever.

The. matter thus far described forms no part of my present invention andmay be. made in a manner similar to automatic weft replenishing doubleshuttle looms now in use.

In carrying my invention into effect I provide two separate brakes orchecks for each shuttle on the magazine side of the loom. Accordingly, Isecure to the lay a pivot bolt 30 which, as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 6,extends through the box top 16, late 15, and the shuttle race 17 Pivotedto this bolt are upper and lower binders 31 and 32, respectively, whichare positioned for engagement with the shuttles S and S, respectively.The particular form of the binders is substantially as set forth in Fig.2. Each binder comprises a lever 33 having a straight friction surface34 curved at its left hand end as shown in Fig. 2 at 35. The upperbinder is formed of a top flange 36 to which is secured a protector arm38 by means of bolts 37. The lower binder is similarly formed with aflange 39 which is attached to a lower protector arm 41 by means ofbolts 40.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3 a spring 42 is provided for each binder andthese springs tend to hold the binders in forward position so that therounded surfaces 35 will engage the advancing nose of the shuttles asthe latter are boxed.

The protector mechanism as shown in Fig. 4 comprises a hunter 40 havingtwo notches 41 and 42, respectively, which are adapted for engagementwith daggers 43 and 44, respectively. Dagger 43 moves with the toprolling rod 45 to which is secured a finger 4G to bear against the lowerprotector arm 41. In similar manner, dagger 44 is secured to a lowerprotector rod 47 to which is attached a finger 48 having engagement withthe upper protector arm 38. Springs 49 are operatively connected to theprotector rods and tend normally to move the daggers downwardly intoknocking-off position with respect to the hunters.

The brake device which is located at the inner end of each shuttle boxcomprises upper and lower checks 50 and 51 which are pivoted to avertical bolt 52 and are similar to bolt 30 as to function and support.Each brake is provided with a clip 53 through which extends a bolt 54the inner end of which is held by a small bracket 55. A com pressionspring 56 is located between the bracket 55 and the clip 53 and by meansof adjusting nuts 57 on the bolt 54 the pressure of the spring may bevaried. The head of each of the bolts 54 limits angular movement of itscorresponding check or brake in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig.2.

The upper brake 50 normally bears against the protector arm 38 so thatthe spring 49 which transmits pressure through the finger 48 will act inaddition to the compression spring 56 to assist n'iovement of the brakein a left hand direction as viewed in Fig. 1. In similar manner theother spring 49 is connected through finger 4G to the lower brake byhaving the lower protector arm 41 in contact with said lower brake. Inthis way each brake located at the inner end of the box has its rearwardmovement resisted by one of the springs of the protector mechanism.

In operation, the springs 49 and 56 tend to hold the brakes 50 and 51 inthe forward position suggested in Fig. 2. Each bral; is preferably linedwith a friction surface 60, such as leather, and this surface of eachbrake extends vertically throughout the greater part of the height ofthe corresponding box. As the upper shuttle enters the top box itsrounded rear surface 65, as shown in Fig. 1, will engage the upperinitial or inner brake and move the same rearwardly against the combinedaction of springs 56 and the spring 49 corresponding to the upperprotector arm 38. The shuttle has the effect of moving the brake so thatthe surface 66 of the latter will be in substantial engagement with therear vertical surfaces of the shuttle, but the protector fingers willnot be moved rearwardly sufliciently to cause the daggers to clear theirrespective hunters.

As the shuttle continues to move to the right as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2it will be subjected constantly to the strain of the initial brake theeffect of which will be retard the movement of the shuttle. As thelatter approaches the end of its travel its rear :nseswao roundedsurface 65 will engage the surface 35 to rock the secondary check orbinder lever 31 around its pivot against the action of spring 42. Thebinder will thereupon move rearwardly and will arrest the movement ofthe shuttle, at the same time moving the protector arm rearwardly so asto raise the corresponding dagger and thereby permit continued runningof the loom.

In a similar manner, the lower shuttle will act on the lower brake andthen on the lower hinder, the effect being that each shuttle is firstsubjected to a constant braking action during its travel in the box andthen to an additional resistance when engaging the binder to be broughtto rest and also to operate the protection. As soon as the shuttlestrikes its binder the pressure of the corresponding spring 49 willshift from the brake to the binder and because of the change in leveragethe effect of the spring 49 will be greatly enhanced, so that it willforce surface 35 against the shuttle with considerably more pressurethan it had previously exerted on surface 66. In this way the samespring is brought to bear upon the shuttle but acts through twodifferent instrumentalities the first of which is gradual in its actionand the second of which is much stronger and more abrupt.

When the weft is exhausted the transferrer mechanism will act to move afresh bobbin into the exhausted shuttle, expelling the exhausted bobbinrearwardly in a horizontal direction. This latter bobbin passes betweenthe corresponding brake and binder and in the case of the upper box,will pass below the protector arm 38. In similar mannor. as a transfertakes place in the lower shuttle the outgoing bobbin will have a large,free and unobstructed space through which to pass, moving over the lowerprotector arm 41'. It is to be understood that the arms 38 and 41 at notime have contact with the shuttle. the braking action being producedsolely by the initial brakes or checks and the secondary brakes orbinders. In this way uniform wear along the rear surface of the shuttlemay be attained without the formation of grooves. In this connection itshould be noted that the vertical surfaces 34 and 35 are substantiallythe same as the vertical dimension of the shuttle, as is the case withthe surfaces 60 and 66.

From the foregoing it will be seen that 1 have provided means whereby ashuttle when entering its box can be subjected successively to twodifferent braking or checking forces the first of which. iscomparatively light and gradual in the effect it produces, whereas thesecond operates more abruptly and brings the shuttle to rest quickly. Itwill also be seen that the protector mechanism spring is employed toassist other springs, the relation being such that the effect producedon the first check is comparatively light, while that exerted on thebinder, which becomes'operative as the shuttle nears the endofitsstroke, I

is not limited to the use of materials as set 2' forthand the brakes andbinders may be made of the same material whether that be the kind setforth for the brakes or for the binders.

Having thus described my invention it will be seen that changes andmodifications may be made therein by't-hoseskilled in the art withoutdeparting fromvthe spirit and scope of the invention and Ido not wish tobe limited. to'the details herein disclosed, but 2 what I claim is:

1. In shuttle checkin mechanism forav loom havinga lay along which'ashuttle travels into ashuttle box on the lay, aprotector mechanism, apair ofshuttle checking members independent of each other and'locatedone at the inner end of the box and the other at thegouter end of thebox, the protector mechanism being operatively related to the membernear the inner end of the box to press the latter member against theshuttle, said latter member being ineffective to move the protectormechanism out of loom stopping position, and the other member near theouter end of the box being operatively connected to the protectormechanism and effective to move the latter out of loom stopping positionwhen said outer member is engaged by the shuttle.

2. In shuttle checking mechanism for a loom having a lay along which ashuttle travels into a shuttle box on the lay, a protector fingeryielding means tending to move the protector finger to loom stoppingposition, said finger when in said position efi'ective to protect theloom and when moved from said position efiective to permit continuedrunning of the loom, and a pair of shuttle checking devices eachindependent of the other and both operatively connected to the yieldingmeans through the finger, one of said means to retard the shuttle by aforce derived from the yielding means but inefiective to move the fingerfrom normal position, the other member exerting a force against theshuttle derived from said yielding means and effective when moved by theshuttle to move the finger .away from loom stopping position to permitcontinued running of the loom.

3. In shuttle checking mechanism for a loom having a lay along which ashuttle travels into a shuttle box on the lay, two independent spacedchecking members to engage a shuttle as the latter enters the box, and ayielding pressure exerting loom protector element to be operativelyrelated to each member to cause each member to exert a force against theshuttle, one of said members when moved by the shuttle resistingmovement thereof without substantial movement of the protector elementand the other of said members when moved by the shuttle effective togive the element a substantial movement.

4. In shuttle checking mechanism for a loom having a lay along which ashuttle travels into a shuttle box on the lay, a yielding pressureexerting loom protector member which when in normal position effectsloom stoppage and when moved away from normal position permits continuedoperation of the loom, and a pair of spaced shuttle check ing elementseach operatively related to the member and each independent of theother, the elements coming into operative relation with the shuttlesuccessively to exert pressure derived from the member against theshuttle, the first member to engage the shuttle being ineffective tomove the member away from loom stopping position and the second memberto be engaged by the shuttle effective to move the element away fromnormal position to permit continued operation of the loom.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

WILLIAM IV. ROBERTSON.

